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Santa Paws, that jolly old holiday bruin, took time out from his busy holiday schedule to pay Spindizzy a visit. For two hours Saturday evening he held court in the Rose Garden fielding holiday gift requests from all the good little boys and girls of Spindizzy.

The only dark spot on this event was when Morticon, local wallaby and SED leader, came in and tried to convince Santa that he was a good boy. Santa was not convinced, however, but did give Morti a copy of the PC game Evil Genius so he could 'rule the world' without getting in the way of the Spindizzy population.

(ooc note: I wish to thank everyone who participated in this event and made this event possible. It was alot of fun and hopefully can be done next year).

Canada got the worst of some animal / city names gags this week in the Rose Garden. It started innocently enough, but as is usual with things like this it quickly escalated.

Ba'ar wonders if it's TOR-ONTO or TRONTO?
Gilead chirps, "Is Tauronto the horse-like part of Canada?"
Argon snickers.
Gilead chirps, "Is Touronto the part that vacationing groups go to?"
Argon says, "Like Otterwah."
Zach comments, "And don't forget Al-bear-ta!"
Zach comments, "And Vancougar"

This was followed by...

Mouser fumbles about in the Ancient Oak and scares up a gingerbread man. Mouser balances the gingerbread man on his head and goes for a swim in the fountain.
Argon thinks he saw something like that in a movie.
Mouser hisses, "It's the traditional way to deal with uncooperative gingerbread men, Argon..."
You say, "Oh. Giving him the three hundred and fifty degree for 20 minutes, eh?"
Mouser hisses, "No one likes a half-baked gingerbread man..."
Zach does a (very) little desc change for Nikon.
You say, "We don't knead that."

To everyone, I just wanted to say: thanks for coming. Your presence and participation helped make it a wonderful event, and, I hope you'll want to attend the next Ambush. For those that didn't, I hope to see you there next time.

A special thanks to the folks who made the event: Cithara, Ray, Aleu, Raeth, Gilead, Roofus_roo, Ikuri, Findra, Kinsor, Alfie, Premchaia, Peppermint, Skyler, Charner, Gilead, Argon, Nimble, and Elissa. Thank you all for coming and sharing your ideas.

The topic this week explored the relationship between our characters and our players, and participants applied their own interpretation to it, from literal to poetical to whimsical to interpretive dancing ;) Ray contributed a poem, Kinsor, Alfie, Argon, Gilead, Aleu, Ping, Skyler, Peppermint and Raeth contributed drawings, Slug contributed some well-written prose, and Skyler also contributed a written piece in addition to his drawing, Premchaia started a program, and Findra contributed an idea for next week...well, tomorrow! :)

This ambush is and should be a change from Ambushes previously...I invite you to come next week and find out just how! There's also an FAQ available, viewable simply by visiting B&P (n1 e8, b, look afaq).

Ambushes are held each Sunday at 19:00 MUCK time, give or take a few minutes. You can get there by "luge n1 e8," and then "b," or just hopping on the fossa. :) Also, psst, a special thanks and shout-out to Ray, for letting me (shamelessly) steal a page from his book now and then, and is just a nice person besides. :)

Friday night in the Rose Garden, Raeth, local (?) made a puppet he named Jesus. Although there was some discussion as to whether it was the Son of God, Jesus, or a Mexican guy, Casimir, local raccoonfae, decided to have some fun and jumped into Raeth's ear, saying, ""It is a siiiign!" And the "la-zer" fires! Popcorn cometh forth and runneth over...a sign! A sign that...Jesus walks the earth?? Truely, Ruby signaleth the coming of a New World! It is the 7th Sign!

Reath replied that God is overdramatic and flicked his ear, trying to dislodge the voice! Casimir then floated out of Raeth's ear and resized, floating to the ground again. Of course, this meant God stops talking to Raeth...

Austin noted that having Jesus and a fairy raccoon together sounded like a least-loved bedtime story.

Jesus decieded to give Casimir a hug. Casimir aieee'ed! "No, no, no! Jesus-cooties!" Jesus looked blank for a moment, then hugged Casimir. "I love you," he said.

Casimir stared at Jesus as if it wasn'tt sure what to do. So it started trying to wriggle free again, panicking about "Jesus cooties." Poor Casimir! The shock of the Second Coming of Ruby and the 7th Sign must've fried its brain.

Jesus hugged Casimir tighter, and smiled broadly, beaming, "I love you!" he said again. Casimir paniced, squealing like a little girl! "I-I I haven't had my heretical shots yet! Noooo! ...converting...to...Jehovah's Witness...Transform!"

Casimir doesn't know...personally, he noted, "I just hope they have cookies up there."

Argon noted, "If Jesus is a raccoon, I'm sure they have cookies in heaven."

Casimir peered at the Jesus-zombie, then looked at Argon, "I thought th' cookies were universal? D' centaurs no' hav'em?"

Jesus then released Casimir, and suddenly raccoonified! Casimir peered at the Jesus-zombie. It is like night of the living saints. Only in text. it said, "Well, shur, but w'mostly hides'em in th' blackburry pies an' all." It resettles its hat, looking warily at th' Jesus.

Jesus smileds broadly, beaming at Casimir! But then Raeth pulled out a pokeball, and pointed it at Jesus, "RETURN, Jesus!" he cried! The red lazor zapped Jesus and he suddenly wobbled, then faded into a red light which shrank back into the ball. Raeth stuck the little ball on his belt, and curled up, tail swishing about.

Casimir fears Jesus! It ran t' hide behind Royce, "God's after m'!" Austin said, "Boy, you think you have a hard time living up to *your* dad ... "

Argon said he hoped Raeth @archived Jesus, "There is a very obvious gag there."

Soon, Raeth and Jesus left, which made Casimir sad. He cried to Argon, "Join the Dark Side, Argon! Argon...I...am your father! Argon replied, "Oh, Dad!" and hugged Casimir!"I'm so glad to see you. The police have been to the house every day for a year looking for you. Something about some nuns in Mexico."

Casimir's mouth hung open. Just that. "I, I uh...you're a bit bigger than I expected, son! It's been years." Casimir gots flustered and its accent went away. It blinked, "Empty accusations! I er, I mean, that is...well...it's been a religious experience! ...finding you again, that is! And yes. Well, I have to be honest with you, son... Your name isn't really Argon...it's...Elmer. And aye, I know...uhm...send him my regards, won't you? *sweats* Elmer d'Glue, after yer old man...aintcha proud?" Argon replied, "Well, I grew up. I took after mom anyway. The man at the racetrack wants to talk to you too." Mom said you were French, said your name was LePage."

Casimir gently floats near Argon's shoulder, an' shakes its head, "Oh, no--tis D'Glue...uhm...aye! Well, yes! We have alotta catchin' up t' do!" Casimir boggles a moment. "Et's when y'see th' two potatoes dancin' on th' ends o' forks..."

Argon hugged Casimir, "Well, Mom will be happy to see you again. Having you around may get her to loose weight and stop drinking. And with all the bills.... Well, you'll clear all that up, 'Dad'. I should take you home right now! Mom may come out of her coma when she hears you'll pay the hospital bill."

Casimir looked panicked. "I uh...Elmer, don' you have a job, yet?" Casimir peers at th' centaur suspiciously, and resettles its hat over its ears, as though it'd like to hide!, "Where's y' job at, son?" it floated towards the centaur, arms crossed an' frownin', "Ain't a big boy like y' takin' care o' 'is mudder?"

Argon replied, "I have a wife of my own to take care of. And I have the fine example you set to follow!" he smiled proudly.

Casimir blinked, an' swept off et's hat! "Well, blimey! Congrats, son! I can't say how proud ah is o' y'! I mean...well, jes' wow! ...I bet she makes money too?" Casimir peers closely at 'Elmer.'

Argon says, "Money? She's a centaur, like I am, Dad. We got us a doublewide."

Casimir nodded, and floated, hands b'hinds its back, "Yep! An' makes a pret' penny racin, too! Aw, now...yer spoilin' er, boyo! Didn't ah teach y' nothin? Girls don' need dem fancy homes...a stable'll do. Really...

Argon replied, "Well, Mom lives in the stable."

Casimir noted, "Well...an' y' don' gotta feeds'em either...they's foragers, 'member? Or say nice things, or send roses...I mean..."

Casimir then said, "W'were just gettin' t' th' finale...Argon, yer supposed t' complete the redneck/Starwars/Married With Children bad crossover by peltin' m' with a glowing, radioactive moonpie an' standin' over m' grave while singin' th' tune to, to, uh...It's a Small World After All? An' then' pourin' moonshines over m' grave...an, an...All My Typos.Casimir hands Argon a radioactive moonpie and a can of vodka-shine to finish off the job next episode.

The conversation then turned to names for this soap opera which included, As the muck turns, The young and the furry, and All my tupos/

Dinner that evening consisted of three entrees: A Brisket of Beef, with a tangy, savory sauce; a Honey-Glazed Ham, with pineapple rings and cherries, studded with cloves; and a traditional Roast Turkey (which mysteriously generated an almost unlimited supply of drumsticks, to the confusion of the chef, Soul_Fox) with chestnut stuffing. There was also a plentiful Sideboard, heavily laden with Holiday dishes, served up on crystal, silver, and china: A platterful of latkes (potato pancakes) sizzling right out of the fryer, with sides of cool sour cream and applesauce; a huge bowl of mashed potatoes, and a gravy-boat brimming with turkey gravy; tasty cornmeal dressing; a carrot and raisin salad; freshly-prepared cranberry sauce (with whole cranberries!); sauteed green beans (both pickled and fresh-picked); a great mound of fluffy yeast dinner rolls served with honey-butter; brown-sugar candied yams; several different cheese-logs, and other Holiday favorites.

As important as Dinner is, it is important to leave room for Dessert... A great deal of room had been devoted to a generous assortment of Holiday treats, including: Pies (pumpkin, mincemeat, and lemon meringue); sweet potato souffle, topped with marshmallows toasted golden-brown; banana pudding (with REAL Nilla Wafers!); a rum cake, well-fortified and aromatic; a luscious fruitcake, dense with candied fruits and nuts (not fortified); fancifully-shaped gingerbread cookies fresh from the oven; sugar plums and candy canes, and an authentic Plum pudding (with raisins, currants, and figs, but NO plums!). Several bowls of freshly-whipped cream were also provided to top anything with a smooth, creamy touch. Additionally, cheescake, carrot cake, and milkshakes were requested and provided, and PatchO'Black enhanced the selection with his own, organically-grown marshmellows.

A three-boiler coffee- and hot chocolate-maker stood ready to provide hot, liquid refreshment, and additional seasonings and garnishes, such as ground and stick cinnamon, honey, marshmallows, peanut butter, and shaved chocolate allowed for further innovation. A Samovar also stood near to paw to serve up traditional strong, Russian tea, amid teapots for a milder taste. Bowls of punch and egg-nog extended the beverage selection, further divided into alcoholic and virgin.

Other snacks and treats were scattered throughout the Manor, and several furs accepted the Host and Hostess' open invitation to wander the house and grounds, though a tour was also provided later in the evening. PatchO'Black and Ray both sang some seasonal musical selections, and the evening ended with a little dancing in the Ballroom.

In related news...

A BIG Move, by Ray

Funny place, SpinDizzy... There I was, minding my own business, when a flock of birds swarmed in. They started... Doing things... I could have sworn I saw a tern quickly open a /gearbox/ on one of the pillars at Gepard Manor's Front Portico, out of the corner of my eye. I inquired, as politely as one may inquire of an unknown avian tinkering with one's abode, just what he was about. He replied, the best I can recall, that an "adjustment" was required. A robot of some sort appeared, introduced itself as Ultrametric, and began to spin. Next thing I knew, the sky... blurred... And then the birds flew off, taking the robot with them. Later, I discovered that the entirety of the Dark Forest of Keresztulerdo, as well as Duma Mountain, had moved to the opposite corner of SpinDizzy. I suppose I don't really mind, though I dread the mover's bill. =^[.]~=

(To reach Keresztulerdo: The Dark Forest, luge S5 E4; to reach Duma Mountain: Savannah, luge S7 E4)

The next session will be Friday, December 17, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm Spindizzy time (luge S7 E4, [B]asalt [P]illars, [E]nter [P]ortal). All are welcome, either to read or just to listen. Check the eventlist for more details.

Can you guess where the quote was said and who said it. See the bottom of the paper for the answer...

This week's Quote
"Uh ... I prefer the term 'elementally aligned'. Or just about any other term, really."

Back issues from a year and more ago. Remember when...?

• One Year Ago / Season's Greetings to the entire SpinDizzy family from @Action News!
• Three Years Ago / Giant Spider Invasion Averted

Notes from the SpinDizzy Live Journal Community

Remember, user names on the Live Journal forum may be different than those of characters here.

• Posted by Chahala - Alright, I was talking with verious plebs here and a bunch of people expressed interest in some of spindizzy history, so I thought that I would resurect the old fuzzy yarns web page. So for that end I have decided to stuff it up on another web site of mine.

  HISTORY: There used to be a web site called fuzzyyarns.org... only I let it expire after a couple of years and it was taken over by a porn pusher for a while... I guess I got more traffic then I thought.

  Anyway, if you want to look over the old web collection it is here now.

  Have fun with it! Chahala
   

• Posted by Chanspot - Michael Paulus takes viewers into the wonderful world of cartoon skeletal structures. Wonderfully, he reveals the structure behind Tweety, Dexter, and even Shmoo, among others. The pieces are currently on display at Stumptown Coffee, but he's scanned them into his website for viewing. Interested parties might order their own of their favorite characters.
   

@Action News, SpinDizzy's weekly paper, apparently has a fairly healthy circulation, so we figured we'd show just how healthy it is.

Each week, as long as there's room. I'll show the 'hit graph' for the @Action News website.

Welcome to the latest edition of Bearing up, the advice column where Ba'ar (That's me!) has answers to your most challenging questions.

Dear Bearing Up,
What should I do about the termites eating the tree I live in?
- B. Ird

Dear B. Ird:
Eat them! They're tasty!

Dear Bearing Up,
My Christmas tree is too tall for my living room. What should I do?
- Holiday Decorator

Dear Holiday Decorator:
Get a bigger living room!

Dear Bearing up,
I took you advice about getting the balloon girl I like high, but she floated away before I could ask her for a date. What should I do now?
- Morphy

Dear Morphy:
Inflate yourself with helium and go after her.

Bear Bearing Up:
My farrier has decided to raise his prices to put new horseshoes on my hooves. I like his work, but since I need new shoes every six weeks, it's getting too expensive to deal with him. What should I do?
- Argon

Dear Argon:
Make your own horseshoes.

Dear Bearing Up,
My kits want a game box. Should I give them an X-Box or a Play Station?
- B. Gates

Dear B. Gates:
Neither! Give them an Atari Jaguar.

Remember possums (to steal a term from Dame Edna ;-D), if you have any questions, please page mail me (Ba'ar) online or send mail to big_bear@operamail.com . Thanks.

This week Ba'ar asked, "What Holiday song, ancient or modern, irritates you the most?"

• Warusa chitters. "No question. 'Spike Jones' All I Want For Christmas (is My Two Front Teeth)'?
• Argon says, "The twelve days of Christmas. That song just seems to go on forever!"
• Mouser hisses, "That'd have to be 'I Saw Three Ships A'Sailing In'. Someone should tell the writer that Bethlehem isn't anywhere near the ocean..."
• Phoex says, "Anything remade by a popular artist"
• Zach comments, "Irritates, Jingle Bell Rock"
• Elizabeth says." I hate the song, 'Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer'. It's just not nice!"
• Gilead guesses he's annoyed by that "feed the world" song. It's so depressing. But...so are a lot of other songs.
• Vixie says, "Paul McCartney's Having a Wonderful Christmas Time is pretty annoying as well."

This week's Quote was brought to you by the Elemental Equality League. When you think of fair and cloudy rights look to the EEL for answers.

Today quote as you may have guessed was said in the Rose Garden. The quote was said by Lia a female elf.

Congratulation to all of you that guessed right!

Submitting a story or artwork for @Action News is easy! Just send it to newspaper@spindizzy.org or qmail or page Argon, Carl or SDN about it.
@Action News is published weekly on or after 12:01 AM Eastern Time on Sunday. Most any type of story or article will be accepted. Generally, we'd prefer things that aren't out and out lies or flames about other folks, and have a basis in the reality of SpinDizzy. Things that occur in public areas are fair game. The things reported don't have to have actually happened, (any more than anything that happens here does) but make sure you don't overstep the social boundaries and rules of interaction that we have. These are pretty broad guidelines, but we expect good sense to apply.

Thanks! Argon, Editor @Action News